A Groundswell of Support for Reforming the Media

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But the bipartisan nature of opposition to deregulation suggests that the war added momentum to an already growing dissent. Opposition has arisen not just from progressive media reform activists but also from groups like the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the National Organization for Women, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, Consumers Union, The New York Times' conservative columnist William Safire, and even the National Rifle Association. Wave after wave of media mergers have left advocacy groups—minorities, proponents of children's programming and public broadcasting, and those seeking space on the airwaves for gun rights or religious viewpoints—feeling increasingly shut out by the networks. People are waking up to the fact that freedom of expression and religion, even free elections, hinge on fair media practices. As Lasn puts it, “All the really big issues of our time go back to who is in control of our information delivery systems.”

Even optimists among media reformers admit things are likely to get worse before they get better. President Bush has threatened to veto Congress’ efforts to overturn the FCC's June 2 decision, and looming battles—renewed funding for PBS and corporate control of the Internet, to name just two—are yet to be waged. But since Congress requires the FCC to review its media ownership guidelines every two years, this spring’s melee is guaranteed a sequel. Perhaps that's why McChesney remains pragmatic about the road ahead for a media-rights revolution. “It's like the civil rights movement in 1951. It's not 1963, it's 1951,” he says. “But it's not 1896 either. We've come a long way in the past year.”
—Paul Schmelzer

Paul Schmelzer is a Minneapolis-based writer specializing in media issues.

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